Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I recognise that what Deputy Ó Ríordáin is trying to achieve is to remove the 12-month element. He has been clear about this. Section 6 provides that the Minister will not make an order adjusting the number of statutory sick leave days under the Bill until 12 months after its enactment and that a period of 12 months must pass between each subsequent adjustment. The amendment would remove this provision and place no restrictions on how often the number of sick leave days could be changed. Limiting adjustments to once every 12 months provides employers and employees with a degree of certainty about their entitlements. Once enacted, employers will know in advance of each year what their obligations are on statutory sick leave and what they have to plan for and accommodate. This will allow for better alignment with contracts of employment and tax responsibilities. The limit on adjustments will also allow the Minister time to reflect on the impact of any previous change. Everybody is requesting that we do this on a regular basis. It is important that we give people time to be able to implement changes, and 12 months is a reasonable period.